Faculty of Science Dean Professor
Robert Saint with Youth ANZAAS
delegates Nicholas Wyatt and
Rebekah Raymond.
Image: courtesy of the University
of Melbourne

As a child of the space race, Robert Saint always knew he wanted to get into science. In his early days at university studying maths and physics, he picked up biology as an ‘extra subject’ and became entranced by genetics. Now regarded as a pioneer in the genetics of development, his interest in all areas of science have led him to take up the mantle of Dean of Science at the University of Melbourne.

“By year 10 I knew I wanted a career in science, I just wasn’t sure in which area. My family were from an arts background, but were very encouraging, buying me popular science books,” Professor Saint says.

Professor Saint joins the University of Melbourne after positions as Director of the ARC Centre for the Molecular Genetics of Development and Head of Molecular Genetics and Evolution within the Research School of Biological Sciences at the Australian National University.

However, it was his broad interest in science that led him to the Deanship. While continuing his own research, Professor Saint is keen to interact with as many scientific disciplines as possible.

“Although your research becomes specialised, it’s impossible to avoid an appreciation of other disciplines,” he says.

“As biologists we often blindly use techniques, but one of the exciting aspects to me is thinking more broadly, such as about the biophysics of the fluorescent molecules we use.

“Society has some huge issues to face, such as what source of power will replace fossil fuels, so it is essential to work across disciplines to identify and quantify problems and then formulate answers.”

The Saint lab, which is moving to the Department of Genetics, works on the genetic regulation of cell division and migration, using the vinegar fly Drosophila as a model organism.

“Observations such as the similarity of twins tell us how important genes are in development. The way an embryo forms is amazing, for example the cells that make up your face start out in the embryo at the back of your neck and migrate to reach their destination. We want to understand the genetic instructions that control how cells move and multiply during development.”

Their work focuses on the cell’s cytoskeleton, a structure required, among other things, to split the genetic material when cells duplicate for growth and repair.

“We’re taking a fundamental research approach, but cell division is important to understand because it regulates the genetic content. Factors such as asbestos and viruses, which lead to cancer, may do so by changing the genetic content of cells.”

“At the heart of good research is imagination. However scientists have constraints on the way they apply their imagination. We need to be able to ask the right experimental questions to test our imagined world and then have the discipline to interpret the outcome to refine our view.

“Research is very exciting, so some of my research-only colleagues can’t understand why I’d want to be a Dean. One of the reasons is wanting to engage more broadly in what’s happening in science.”

And for Professor Saint, one of the best ways to do this is contributing to the teaching of science to the next generation of researchers.

“When I first heard about the Melbourne Model I found it very exciting. I’ve worked in the US and Europe, so I’ve seen the benefits of undergraduate breadth and the deeper understanding gained from masters degrees.”

Professor Saint is keen to add his commitment to the new model of education, believing it will produce better PhD students and graduates of the professional Master of Science degree.

“The idea to produce a group of people trained in science who also have postgraduate training in business-related skills has been lacking in Australia. People with scientific training can bring an enormous amount to jobs that don’t directly involve scientific research.”

Earlier this month Professor Saint was joined for breakfast in Ormond College by 54 of the top science high school students from Australia and New Zealand. They had gathered in Melbourne for the Youth ANZAAS conference organised by the Australian & New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science.

“Meetings like these are essential for increasing interest in science and technology,” he says.

Professor Saint brings with him extensive science education experience in lecturing, course co-ordination and development, which was recognised by a nomination for an Australian University Teaching Award.

So it seems quite fitting then, that someone first inspired by a science book should now be a co-author of the only Australian tertiary biology textbook: Biology: An Australian Focus.